Telecommunication regulators in The Netherlands have scaled back considerably the liberal 60-metre privileges announced for Radio Amateurs in that country just days after the conclusion of World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15). Since December 2015, Amateurs in The Netherlands have had access to a 100 kHz-wide Amateur band at 5 MHz, with a maximum power of 100 W.

Article 4.4 of the International Telecommunication Union's Radio Regulations permits countries to authorize frequency assignments that are contrary to the international Table of Allocations, only on a non-interference, non-protected basis.

VERON, the International Amateur Radio Union's member society in The Netherlands, now reports that starting on April 1, Dutch Radio Amateurs will have to be content with the global secondary 15 kHz-wide allocation of 5351.5 kHz to 5366.5 kHz at up to 15 W effective isotropic radiated power that was agreed to at WRC-15.

“This outcome of WRC 2015 is implemented by means of the present modification of the scheme,” VERON said.

The ARRL has petitioned the FCC to allocate a contiguous 5 MHz band in the US while retaining four of the five channels already in use. Radio Amateurs in The Netherlands also will be permitted to conduct cross-band and duplex 50 MHz/70 MHz communication, starting on April 1.

The amended Amateur Radio regulations in The Netherlands also have raised the possibility of future restrictions in the 23-centimetre band, to avoid interference to the Galileo GPS system, which operates in the 1260-1300 MHz range. An updated Policy Memorandum on Unmanned Frequencies Using Amateur Radio, worked out between regulator Agentschap Telecom in cooperation VERON, in part addresses unattended repeaters, beacons, and APRS nodes.

“The possibilities for new licenses in this band may be in the future restricted, if it appears that there is too big an impact on primary usage (radio navigation satellites),” the regulator said, citing the deployment of Galileo as the immediate reason. The updated agreement also becomes effective on April 1.

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